The Man at the Bottom of the Soda Glass
by AshRB
Summary: One night while drinking at the Moonlight Cafe, Tito ponders who he is and what he's doing. Entry for The Village Square Contest.


_Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is my entry for the May/June contest in the Village Square forum! We really need some more entries, so please check the contest out if you get the chance! The theme is "mirrors."_

_This is my first fanfiction that is meant to be taken seriously, so please by all means give me lots and lots of tips about how to write seriously in your review! (__**If **__you review, that is. I ain't going to force ya. :D )_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, but I did draw the picture! (Well, when I get around to posting a picture that is. I did draw my avatar too, so that's something! XD)_

**The Man at the Bottom of the Soda Glass**

Aging a grape does not a soft drink make.

Tito was pondering the peculiar name for the beverage as he sat in the Moonlight Café one night. His every muscle was groaning in pain and his fingers trembled as he tried to take hold of the "soda" glass. It had taken him all day to climb Mount Moon and his body had clearly not been ready for the ordeal, despite the strength he had to have gained through the rigorous farm work that he had completed over the last three years. The prize of his exhausting climb, the legendary blue father, now sat safe and tucked away inside his shelve where tomorrow it would be taken out and presented to Tito's love.

Soda. Humph. The concoction before him was clearly not mere liquid sugar. It was wine, alcohol, sake, whatever you wanted to call it. It was not intended for children and was exactly what Tito's screaming body needed at that moment.

Tito tilted his head back and chugged the whole glass down with one large gulp. He slammed the empty glass down on the table and put both hands upon his forehead as his brain began to go fuzzy. The "soda" of Flower Bud Village sure was powerful stuff if only one glass could give him a buzz, but his body still ached. Tito motioned to the waitress to bring him another.

Tito looked down at the bottom of the empty glass and through the sticky residue of the leftover wine could see his reflection staring back at him.

Tito's reflection looked tired. That was understandable. The young man had hardly ever gotten a decent night's rest ever since he had found the flier for "The Exciting Ranch Plan." Each of his days were filled with sowing, watering, harvesting, feeding, milking, foraging, chores, and just plain work. And why shouldn't his days be hectic? He was the only reason that Flower Bud was even able to call itself a village, after all. Not to mention the magical musical notes that he was being forced to collect for the Goddess since Jamie clearly didn't know what she was doing.

Eve brought Tito another drink and he gripped the new glass so tightly that his arm trembled even more. He gulped it down and slammed the glass down so hard that he turned a few heads. He ignored the villagers' curious stares and looked down at his reflection again.

The man at the bottom of the soda glass looked about thirty years old. Tito was twenty-four. Even so, the reflection no doubt belonged to him. There were his gravity defying bangs and there was his backwards cap. Same bandanna, same overalls. It was the face that was different. There were lines where there had previously been smooth skin. And his eyes. His eyes indicated that they had seen more strife than any young man was supposed to experience.

What had happened to him?

Tito used to be a free spirit. He wandered the land in search of fun and adventure, throwing all of his troubles into the wind. No worries, just the whole world wanting nothing of him and all the freedom in the universe. How was he supposed to know just what he was getting into when he came across that flier on that fateful day? How was he supposed to know that soon a whole community's economy would be relying on him and that the life of a goddess would be in his hands?

Just last week Carl had come to his door with the news that he was leaving the village until further notice because Tito hadn't shipped any breadfruit in a while. It was SUMMER! Tito wasn't a wizard! He couldn't make seeds grow in the seasons they weren't meant to! And last season Ray left town because Tito hadn't been able to fit in any fishing time between harvesting and taking care of his livestock. Now Maria gave him a cold glare every time that she saw him because she believed that it was TITO'S fault that the fisherman left!

Tito groaned. Why was the weight of Flower Bud on his shoulders? Jamie was always bragging about how she was the best rancher in the whole freaking world and yet people blamed HIM for the town's shortages? Or heck, what about Liz and Nina's farm? Weren't Liz and Nina shipping enough crops? What about the Blue Sky Ranch? Weren't Blue and them making enough animal products?

And the Harvest Goddess! Tito had already rescued her from her stone prison, why did he have to continue collecting notes? What was the point?

Heh. What. Was. The. Point? That was indeed the question, now wasn't it? Why did Tito have to continue to be the man mirrored in the empty glass? Why did he have to waste his life away in this thankless town? What was stopping him from just walking out of the village and never coming back?

Tito knew the answer.

Lyla.

At the end of the day Lyla made it all worth it. Sensible and beautiful Lyla. Lyla, the one who could find good in anybody, the person who always had a kind word, and the woman who could look past the drama in the world and see things as they really were. Lyla, the love of Tito's life and the reason he had climbed the mountain in the first place.

If Lyla said "yes" tomorrow everything that Tito had suffered would be worth it…

Wouldn't it?

The alcohol was finally starting to work its way through Tito's bloodstream and the farmer began to feel blessedly woozy. He paid for his drinks and began to stumble towards the door.

Maybe all he needed was a vacation? Yes…that was it. The town could look after itself for a few days….couldn't it?

"Are you sure you can make it home, bud?" Blue called from across the bar.

"Yeah…ssuurree. I'mmm fiiine," Tito slurred as he stumbled outside.

And so, the drunken rancher swerved back and forth as he made his way towards home. His only company was the sound of Jamie's dog howling in the distance.

_Author's Note: And there you have it! Review if you feel the urge to! And please remember to at least look into the contest! :D_


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